Tuesday, December 31, 2013

I've been off from work for almost a week and a half now. I'm a teacher and always get winter break off....Yay! Trust me, us teachers need these breaks! I'll be honest and say that I have been pretty lazy since I got back from our anniversary trip to NYC. I was surfing Pinterest and came upon an idea to make Vegan Pad Thai with spaghetti squash. The recipe below is Pinterest inspired, but I came up with my own recipe for the peanut sauce. I have made my peanut sauce recipe again since making the spaghetti squash and have used it on tofu, and roasted veggies. I love it so much that I had Jake bring me home veggies and spaghetti squash to make it again. If you make this recipe, I strongly encourage you to use FRESH ginger. I don't think the recipe will taste quite the same without it.

Vegan Pad Thai with Spaghetti Squash Noodles

(Enough for 3-4 people)

Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half with seeds removed.

Olive oil to lightly coat the top of the spaghetti squash

1 large carrot, thinly sliced

1/2 pound of brussel sprouts, cut in half or quarters depending on size OR you could use cabbage, bok choy, etc... ( I didn't have cabbage or bok choy, so I used brussel sprouts.)

**Optional: You could also add red pepper to this as well.

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

1 tbs garlic ( I used powdered because I did not have fresh garlic.)

1 cup vegetable broth

3-4 tbs agave nectar

5 tbs rice vinegar

2-3 tbs liquid aminos OR soy sauce (to taste)

1-2 tbs fresh minced ginger (to taste) I love fresh ginger so I used a lot of it!!!

3 tbs creamy natural or organic peanut butter

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you like it spicy)

Cooking Method:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven is preheated, put the spaghetti squash cut side up on a baking sheet. I sprayed a little olive oil on top of the spaghetti squash before putting it in the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes. You want the noodles to be firm and not too mushy so start checking your squash around 40 minutes.

While the squash is cooking, saute the garlic (if using fresh), carrot, cabbage or bok choy and any other veggies if using on med heat. Cook until tender, then set aside. (I roasted my brussel sprouts along with the spaghetti squash in the oven because Jake was making something else at the same time.)

In another sauce pan, add some of the veggie broth and a little bit of the peanut butter. Stir until creamy. Keep adding a little at a time so that it mixes well together. Once all is added start adding the other sauce ingredients. Make sure to keep stirring. Taste as you go along when adding the ginger so you have the right amount of ginger according to your taste.

Once the sauce is made you can add the sauteed veggies back into the peanut sauce. Coat thoroughly and keep on low heat.

After about 40 minutes check on your spaghetti squash. When the spaghetti squash starts to separate into noodles with a fork it is done. Remove the spaghetti squash from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.

Once cooled, but still warm, add the spaghetti squash to each bowl, then top with your sauce/veggie mixture. Mix all the ingredients together in your bowl, then enjoy!